“… reflection helps us advocate for ourselves and support others. Taking the time to reflect enables us to identify what we want, what we need, and what we must do to help ourselves. It also helps us realize how our gifts and strengths might be used in service to others.”

I have held some skepticism around self-reflection, but what I have come to understand is that self-reflection is, for me, where the learning happens. It’s not a passive activity. It’s not always comfortable because sometimes it requires me to acknowledge I do not always achieve the result I wanted…but it is in these spaces of discomfort, of contemplation, that I comprehend what I can do differently next time. I grow.

The article I’ve referenced provides you with some questions you can ask your students which will help to cultivate in them the ability to self-assess through using self-reflection….but are you buying what you’re selling?

Do participate in reflective teaching? Reflective teaching means, according to Julie Tice, “looking at what you do in the classroom, thinking about why you do it, and thinking about if it works – a process of self-observation and self-evaluation.” There are a number of ways to do it and this easy-to-read article Reflective teaching: Exploring our own classroom practice will provide you with some hints on how to collect information and what to do with it once you have it.

I know, it feels like this is just one more thing to do in an already busy day…but we need to think about how taking this step will prevent us from becoming complacent and from making the same mistakes, over and over.

What if, instead of remaining entrenched in our own positions and coming out of our respective corners with gloves raised, we cultivated a culture of curiosity, using our collective knowledge to find answers that alone we may not?

To give a bit of context, Grant had issues with Brown’s position on authenticity and made his comments public and personal. The author of the article suggested another way of using their differences as an opportunity to ask some great questions which could result in benefits to both parties (and to society as a whole).

Davey suggests the following conversation take place:

Now, if I’m Brown, I invite Grant to meet up to engage in the authenticity conflict productively. I start the discussion by getting on the same page about definitions, “Here’s where I think we’re on the same page, here’s where my definition of authenticity doesn’t jive with what you were talking about.” Then I ask for his help, “You know the psych research better than I do, what other constructs could we add to get a better transposition of the concept of authenticity?” “When we look at it that way, what other data become available?” Your article presented some compelling facts about the risks of authenticity in some forms and in some circumstances, what advice would you give my readers about when authenticity is advisable or not?”

These are two brilliant individuals who could, if they worked together, provide all of us (and probably each other) with some amazing insights.

Are we so focused on being right that we stop asking the hard questions for fear the answers might change our minds?

According to Rheingold (Teaching Critical Thinking in Age of Digital Credulity), by the end of 2014, more than 3 billion people will have had access to the internet. (I suspect that number has grown exponentially since. ) The internet has given us access to a wide range of ideas, concepts, information and cultures. Shirkey, in his talk on social media: How Social Media Can Make History points out that up to the 20th century, media was either good at creating conversation or at creating groups, but not both. He added that the internet is the first medium that has native support for groups and conversations. People can create community without ever meeting one another. They can create media, consume it, critique it, interact with the media makers and with those who also consume the media.

Unfortunately, because people can post almost anything, regardless of its veracity, it is imperative our students learn how to differentiate the proverbial wheat from the chaff.

Rheingold says the challenge is “…few teachers or parents impart to young people the always useful but now essential skills of how to question, investigate, analyze and judge that link they just got in email or the factual claim they just found through a search engine.”

How do we educate our students (and ourselves) so we are able to make accurate assessments of what we read, hear and see?

Critical thinking is “self-directed, self-disciplined, self-monitored, and self-corrective thinking. It presupposes assent to rigorous standards of excellence and mindful command of their use. It entails effective communication and problem solving abilities and a commitment to overcome our native egocentrism and sociocentrism.”

So…what does that look like in practice? They describe a critical thinker as someone who:

raises vital questions and problems, formulating them clearly and precisely;

gathers and assesses relevant information, using abstract ideas to interpret it effectively comes to well-reasoned conclusions and solutions, testing them against relevant criteria and standards;

thinks open-mindedly within alternative systems of thought, recognizing and assessing, as need be, their assumptions, implications, and practical consequences; and

communicates effectively with others in figuring out solutions to complex problems.

As human beings, our brains tend to choose shortcuts to save energy and, as a result, we sometimes pick mental paths which are based on bias and not on well-reasoned information. (If you’d like to read a fascinating book on this topic and one that provides a more fulsome explanation than the oversimplification above, I’d recommend Thinking Fast and Slowby Daniel Kahneman.) Critical thinking requires us to push past our inclination for the easy way and dig into our thoughts, gather information (not just data that agrees with our preliminary line of thought), assess it and be willing to change our minds.

Like this:

Over the past year, I’ve been working my way through the Provincial Instructors Diploma at Vancouver Community College and made the conscious choice to take much of it online. I’ve had people ask me the pros and cons of taking on such an endeavor – here are a few of my thoughts, based on my experience.

Pros

Access to Content – In the PID program, I am given approximately eight weeks online to complete each course. The contact time per course when offered as a face-to-face module is one week. My brain is pretty small, so it needs more time to soak up information, sift and sort it and then find a free shelf in which to put it on. (I’ve mixed metaphors here. Apparently by writing this blog post I’ve shifted something else up there out of place.)

Convenience – If I have time at 6:30 a.m. to work on an assignment (early morning weirdo), I can do so. I can still work full-time and schedule other life-related activities (cleaning the bathroom) that need to happen around my homework schedule.

Depth of Content – With all the links, YouTube videos and pdf copies of articles, I have plenty of content to help with my assignments.

On-Line Library – Being able to access articles through the VCC Library has been an amazing resource. I don’t have to travel to learn.

Colleagues – Just because I’m online doesn’t mean I don’t ever talk to others. Each course has at least some degree of contact time with other students and I learn at least as much from them as I do from the instructor and the content. My fellow students are gifted in their own right and give me lots to think about in areas I wouldn’t have otherwise had access to.

Cons (not like prison)

Face time – I’m not talking about the iPad chatting feature, but it is related. While we have been introduced to software such as Skype, Facetime and oVoo, seeing another person’s face on a screen is not the same as sitting next to them in a room. I am not particularly bothered by this, but some people are.

Communication – While instructors often make themselves available using these software tools, I tend to be reticent to use them because I feel as though I’m bothering them. I’m more inclined to send an email, but realistically, it takes three email messages back and forth to do what one quick live chat could do.

Synergy – Sometimes, when in a classroom, a discussion can erupt that changes the points of view of those present. Ideas, arguments, counter-arguments, illustrations, examples, all fly in a flurry of conversation that is very difficult to reproduce in an on-line environment.

Comraderie – Going for coffee during the break, chatting about ideas you learned in class or about what you did that weekend. You get to know those in your class in a different way than you do in an online environment. I’m not saying relationships/friendships can’t form between online students, but it’s a lot tougher.

Motivation – For those who are procrastinators, it’s easier to get behind in an online environment and harder to catch up once you have.

I think it comes down to personal personal preference as well as the quality of the online materials/platform. A great article on the pros and cons of online learning (as well as face-to-face and hybrid) can be found here – http://bit.ly/1FLQwON, compliments of my PIDP 3250 colleague, Shawna.

You walk into a classroom/boardroom and are greeted by a sea of faces…or…how about a sea of laptop/iPad/iPhone/Android-obscured faces? More than ever, we are connected to our devices and both schools and businesses have become more lax in allowing them in education spaces.

Ever wonder the impact of these devices on our students’/participants’ ability to learn?

A study done at West Point determined that students who were permitted to use their devices while in class “scored 18 percent of a standard deviation lower than students in the section where devices were banned”. (The link to the study, in case you want to read more – http://bit.ly/1TOYOL7).

In another article on the subject, Straumsheim (http://bit.ly/1SIRWkf) points out, “The average student uses those devices for “nonclass purposes” — in other words, texting, emailing and using social media — 11.43 times in class during a typical day.”

As an educator, I think the use of media has a place in the classroom/boardroom, but I do take exception to students/participants incessantly checking their email/Facebook/text messages.

Why are they doing it? A survey done (also from the Straumsheim article) paints a bit of a dismal picture:

Only 46.46% of the students are using their devices for reasons related to the course. Ouch.

Implications? I know some suggest that banning devices would solve our problems, but I wonder if perhaps the solution is a bit more difficult than that? Could it be that we as educators need to rethink how we teach? If students are using their devices to stave off boredom or to entertain themselves, perhaps we need to consider what we need to change to reignite engagement in our students.

Some may be annoyed by being told when they can and can’t water. Others of us, used to living in a rain forest, have not previously had to deal with water shortages and may not be aware of how our habits are water-wasteful or what we can do to improve.

What if we took responsibility for managing this precious resource by educating ourselves and others on how to be creative in our water conservation efforts?

Here are just a few resources to help us become better stewards of our water:

Water Use it Wisely – 100 Ways to Conserve: http://wateruseitwisely.com/100-ways-to-conserve/A great website that includes plenty of small ways to make a big difference. It even has ideas for builders such as using porous materials for patios and walkways to prevent runoff and keep water in your yard. Bonus: Check out the lesson plans, games for kids and suggestions for teachers.

Be Water Wise – http://bewaterwise.com/tips01.html I like this website because it tells you how much water you save when you make changes to how you use water. For example, did you know that by watering early in the morning you reduce the amount that evaporates and you can save up to 25 gallons every time you water?

Let’s be proactive, creative, educated. We all have the privilege and opportunity to make a difference and to be an example to others. Start today!